Rose
by coolmissy11d12
Summary: Rose is a 15 year old American girl who moved to Japan. While going to her history teacher, Miss Higurashi's, shrine for tutoring, She stumbles apon Miss H's past. When she meets Inuyasha, who hasn't changed much, anything can happen!
1. Chapter 1, Discovery

**Hello all! I started writing this story quite a few years ago, and I'm sorta thinking of picking it back up again. This is mostly because I am about halfway through with watching "Inuyasha- The Final Act", and it has me inspired! Before I start to write more material, though, I figure that I should "fix up" some things. Lets just say the first draft of this story is not exactly filled with million dollar sentences. hehe. SO! I am gonna just work my way through each chapter and make things (hopefully) a little higher quality. **

**Now...without further ado...**

**PRESENTING THE...not so new...BUT IMPROVED...CHAPTER ONE! *lots of fanfare***

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"Miss Higurashi," I slumped in my chair. "Umm...how long is this going to take, exactly?" I waited a few moments for her to answer. When I looked up, she was staring at a page of the history textbook we had been using. Something about the frustrated look on her face told me she was deep in thought. So, instead of interrupting, I waited for her to say something.

I was impatient to finish studying, though. I had to keep myself from daydreaming about sitting in the tiny garden that I kept in a corner of my back yard. I sometimes missed the garden that i grew before that. It was bigger because there was much more room at our house in California. That was the least of my problems, though. Everything had been so much harder for me, school-wise, since I'd moved to Tokyo five years before. I spoke Japanese fluently by then, but it still took me twice as long, as the rest of the kids, to understand the lectures. I didn't even want to move to a whole new country, in the first place! But, you know parents. You're automatically expected to tag along when their workplace tells them to go somewhere. So, there I was, stuck in another tutoring session with Miss Higurashi, my Japanese History teacher. I couldn't even begin to fathom how she could be so enthusiastic over the subject! _It's all politics, and memorizing dates, and... _My train of thought was broken when she suddenly looked up from the page.

"Oh! I'm sorry Rose! What was I saying again?" Miss Higurashi was only in her early forties! She certainly wasn't old enough for her memory to be slipping!

"Um, right here." I pointed to the middle of the page we were on.

"Really? We're only there? Hmmm I'll tell ya what. We can work on it at my home, tomorrow! Also, it will give you a chance to see a real shrine," She said, cheerfully as always, but she still seamed a little bit out of it. I wondered what it was that put her in this weird mood all of a sudden.

"Oh! Ok!" I said, almost as cheerfully as her. I was glad to be free! So, I said a quick goodbye and began packing my things, but, as I was about to close my textbook, I paused for a moment. I wanted to see what Miss H. had been looking at for so long. My eyes skimmed the page. _This isn't anything special… _Suddenly, I noticed a picture at the bottom of the page. It was a photo of some sort of ancient tapestry. On the woven fabric was an... interesting scene...to say the least. _I-its some type of monster! _I thought. Just looking at it sent chills down my spine! The creature had four arms and looked almost like a mutant dragon. _Eww._ Under the picture was the description "youkai (demon)" I slammed the book shut, quickly, and stuffed it into my backpack._ Now, that's my kind of history lesson!_ It was only when I looked around that I realized Miss H. had already grabbed her purse and left.

"I'll just have to talk to Miss Higurashi about it tomorrow." I thought, out loud, as I rushed through the classroom door.

I guess something about that picture stayed in my mind, because, as soon as I got home, I sprinted to my computer and typed the keyword "youkai" into the internet search bar. _Finally something interesting!_ I thought, as I opened up webpage after webpage.

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The next morning, I jumped out of bed. It was Saturday, and my favorite day of the week! I tugged on a vintage sweater and my faded blue jeans, and then practically skipped to the bathroom. When I reached the sink, I looked at myself in the mirror. My reddish brown hair was a mass of knots. So, I spent about five minutes untangling it back to its former, smooth state. As I was working on this, my mom called up to me.

"Rose! Finish getting ready! You have tutoring today!" As she said this, I subconsciously continued to brush out my tangled hair. In a moment of disappointment, I accidentally pulled down hard on one of the hair-knots and the handle of my brush snapped off in my hand. I threw it in the trash with a sigh. My sulky mood only lasted a moment, because I suddenly remembered where class would be held! I also remembered the thousands of questions I had for Miss Higurashi about the interesting monsters called Youkai.

_Maybe today's lesson won't be boring after all…_

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"Grrr! Why does the entrance have to have so many steps?" I grumbled as I carried my bike up to the shrine. Finally, no thanks to the bike, I made it to the top of the stairs.

"I… just gotta …sit for a...sec…" I said in between gulps of air. I sat my bike down at the arched gate, and stumbled my way in. After I turned the corner of one of the buildings, I found a huge shady tree with a bench under it. I practically limped over and collapsed onto the bench. I rested my head back against the stone wall that surrounded the entire property, and almost fell asleep. But then I noticed the big gash that marred the front of the, otherwise beautiful, tree. Being a nature lover, this made me a little sad. I got up and hopped the little fence that surrounded the tree. I rubbed my hand over the gash, intending to inspect it, but I jumped back, startled.

"Whoa! D-did it just…pulse?" I exclaimed, totally shocked. I didn't get a chance to find out because, suddenly, Miss Higurashi walked out of her house in the direction of the building closest to me. She luckily didn't notice me as I jumped behind the wide trunk of the creepy tree. I watched, not knowing what else I could do without her find out that I'd been snooping around, as Miss H. walked over to the building. Just as she was about to step through the door, I caught a glimpse of something, in her hands, that sparkled in the sunlight. After she went in, it only took her about thirty seconds to come back out again. I breathed a sigh of relief, but, as I watched her leave, I noticed she had tears in her eyes. I definitely didn't want to disturb her now. So, as soon as she was back inside her house, I ran like mad toward my bike. Then I stopped in my tracks. As I was passing the open door of the building, that Miss H. had just left, I saw another glint of light from inside. I couldn't help but be curious. So, I cautiously walked into the unlit room and down the stairs. I was surprised to find an old well and even more surprised to find that the sparkly object, lying on the closed lid, was a fragment of some sort of jewel.

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**Just a warning, if you read past the chapters, that have little notes saying that I've updated them, the story may not match up in some spots. So, maybe it would be best to wait until I've fixed the next chapter to continue reading. Still, you can read on, if you'd like! I don't plan on changing anything major. I'm just working on adding more detail and making things flow better.**

**Anyways, thanks bunches to anyone who actually re-read this chapter! There is more on the way! Please review, as always!**


	2. Chapter 2, Nightmare

**Yeah...I feel like I'm on a roll. So I just basically fixed some things that will hopefully make this chapter flow better. Enjoy ^^**

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"It's…a jewel…thing. More like a piece of one. No wonder Miss Higurashi wanted to get rid of it! Either that, or it was an offering to the Well God or something." I thought. I curiously turned the little shard over and over in my hands.

"Hello? Is someone out there?" I jumped at the sound of Miss H's voice coming from the house. I looked around, desperately. _Gotta hide! Gotta find somewhere to…of course. It HAS to be a dried up well. _I thought as I realized the only hiding spot was the most obvious place for someone to look for a trespasser.

_Well, here goes nothing…_

So I took the plunge into the well as quickly as I could, to make sure I didn't have a chance to chicken out. As soon as my head went below the rim, the lid swung shut without me even touching it. That should've been my first clue that something wasn't right, but I was too busy focusing on the second. Suddenly I was falling, and falling, and falling. All the while, I was being circled by a column of ethereal lights. The only thoughts that went through my mind, that I can remember anyway, were…

_OH, GOD! HOW AM I GOING TO EXPLAIN TO MISS H. THAT I BROKE HER WELL!_

and…

_I'M DEAD! I'M DEAD! I'M DEAD! I HIT MY HEAD, AND I'M DEAD!_

Then it was suddenly over. The lights disappeared, and I was sitting at the bottom of the well.

"Ok. That rules out the dead part. I'm pretty sure I'm alive…I think." So with that, I stood up and brushed myself off. I was prepared to stand down there for a while, at least until Miss H. went back inside her house, but I suddenly noticed the light coming from above. I'd been caught. _Now I AM dead! Great! Goodbye clean, permanent record. Hm...maybe they'll let me work with plants as community service...I guess I could get used to- WOAH! What am I thinking? All I have to do is apologize! Miss H. is a pretty understanding person...maybe if I just explain... _I warily climbed the vines up the side of the well.

"Miss Higurashi! I am SO sorry! I really didn't mean to-" I stopped short as I tumbled over the top of the well, and noticed my surroundings. Suddenly, I found myself in my worst nightmare…history.

My vision became blurry as I began to faint. Just as my legs gave out on me, a flash of red passed my narrowing sight. Then everything faded to black.


	3. Chapter 3, A Chance Meeting

**OK, HERE IS MY LATEST UPDATE! YAY! Ok. This isn't gonna be as much fun unless somebody reviews. So...PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!**

While I was unconscious I dreamed. I dreamt of the swirling lights from the well. It was kinda weird because it was happening in the middle of a nightmare. Suddenly the surreal lights morphed into normal sunlight as I began to wake up.

"Ugh." I shifted my weight uncomfortably. "Why is the ground so-" I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in the branches of a tree! I gasped.

"A really TALL tree! Eeep!!!" I squeezed my eyes shut again and latched onto the trunk. Suddenly there was rustling from some branch above me. Then the branch I was attached to vibrated as something landed on it. _PLEASE BE A MONKEY! PLEASE BE ONLY A MONKEY! _I begged inside my head as I tried to shrink into the tree.

"Finally! It took you long enough to-" My eyes flew open at the sound of a human's voice. It was a boy! He was only a little older than me, but that was all I had time to observe because, just then, the tree trunk pulsed under my arms. The shock made me jump backwards and into the chest of the mysterious boy. Not only did I knock the wind out of both of us, but I made him lose his balance on the branch. Suddenly, we were free falling. Without even realizing it, I put him in a stranglehold. I was surprised when he wrapped one arm around my waist, and caught the lowest branch (which was still not too close to the ground either) with his free hand. I opened my eyes just in time to see him let go of it as well. I was not expecting that.

"ARE YOU CRAZYYYY?!?" I screamed as we fell the rest of the way down. Somehow he managed to land lightly on his feet.

"W-what do you think you are, a cat?" I huffed sarcastically. His little stunt had almost gotten us killed!

"No stupid! I'm a dog." He growled through his teeth. That was when I noticed his appearance. He was dressed in a bright red kimono and had long silver hair that was about knee length. The most eye catching thing about him was perched on top of his head though. A pair of dog ears. Suddenly, something clicked in my mind.

"You're-y-you're…a-" I stammered.

"Demon. Well, actually, I'm a-" he began.

"Take THIS!" I swung my foot and made contact with the side of his head. _Finally all those years of tae-kwon-doe lessons come in handy!_

"Ow! Whad'd ya do that for?" He said rubbing the spot where I had kicked him. _He didn't even fall down! I hit him pretty hard!_

"Stay back youkai! I can hit a lot harder with a…" I looked around me and picked up the first possible weapon I saw. "…a stick?"

"Ya right! With your form, you couldn't knick a tree! And by the way, I'm a hanyou" He stated mater-of-factly. I was stumped.

"Uhh…I don't follow." I said. He smirked.

"A half demon." He said.

"Half demon?" I was totally shocked. "What's the other half?" Slowly I began to realize that this creature was somehow…different than the terrible monsters I had read about back home…home. It seemed like I hadn't seen my house in ages even though it had only been that morning. _Where am I anyway? How did I get here; wherever _here_ was…_

"My father was a respected demon, and…my mother was…human." I froze. He crossed his arms and looked away. "There. Ya happy?"

"Human?" I blearily squeaked out.

"Would ya stop gawking already? It's not that great! Feh. I'm outta here. You're safe now. You can find your own way back to your time."

"My time? You mean…I traveled through…" I felt my knees begin to buckle again. So I sat down.

"Hey! A second ago you were trying to take my head off!" He looked kind of offended. I decided to knock his overly confident attitude down a notch.

"You're human. You don't scare me. The only reason that kick didn't work was because my form is a little rusty. That's all. Plus, I know you're lying about leaving me here! You'd have to be a total-" I had been so absorbed in my speech that I didn't notice he had started walking away.

"HEY! WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!?" I jumped to my feet. He stopped and turned around.

"Well, since you're so fearless…" he said mockingly. With that, he turned on his heal and was about to take off running.

"Come on! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"I don't need you tagging along with me anyway!" There was something about the hint of bitterness in his voice that made me wonder if I had missed something. _He's really going to leave me here! I have to stall him!_

"How about you be a good dog and SIT!!!" At his, Dog Boy stopped dead in his tracks. Then he spun around to face me.

"Ha! It didn't work!" He looked relieved as he turned back around.

"Hey! Watch your-" Just as I said this, he walked right into a low hanging tree branch.

"Fine…I'll…stay." With that, he fell on his face.

"Good boy."


	4. Chapter 4, Lost

I'm sorry people! This chapter took forever to write! If you are actually reading this, then R&R! Thanks bunches!!!!!

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After I had propped the unconscious boy up against the big tree that had pulsed, I decided to explore. I needed some time to think. _So…I'm really…in the…past. This has to be the past. Right? In my…time…this place is full of houses… _So I strolled past green tree after green tree, and a sea of amazingly lush grass. The air tasted so different than what it did in my time. I didn't know air could taste that clean. My mind continued to drift. _Who is that boy…slash…demon? No wait, he called himself a…hanyou. What's his story? How did he find me so deep in the woods? Why would a hanyou be hanging around a dried up old well anyway? And…oops…what's his name? _

It had been about an hour since I had started walking. So I decided I had better get back before the boy started to wonder what happened to me, and really did leave. I turned back the way I came, and walked at a steady pace.

***

After walking back for what seemed a lot longer than I had been walking away, I admitted to myself that I was lost. _I was sure I was walking in a straight line! I didn't turn or anything! Oh wait, there was that time that I tripped over that root in the ground. I might have gotten up, and walked in the wrong direction! This is BAD! I'm lost in my own town in another time period!!!!_

"Hello young miss." I jumped about a foot in the air as a male voice cut through the silence of the woods. I spun around to find myself face-to-chest with a tall boy. I slowly looked up to meet his eyes. They weren't golden like the hanyou's had been. (Oh shut up! It's not like I had been really looking! Ok sure, demon boy is kinda…ok, a lot cute, but he is not exactly the nicest guy in the world!) This boy's eyes were brown. He was only human. I had nothing to worry about. Sure my martial arts were a little rusty, but I could still take out a human if I had made a hanyou wince in pain. I braced myself.

"Aren't you going to reply? I greeted you." The boy spoke again. Well, he was certainly polite, and kinda cute. He wore a black kimono with white Japanese lettering down the sides of his sleeves. His also black hair was pulled back into a pony tail which hung down his back. He looked about the same age as the hanyou boy. _Why am I thinking of that stuff at a time like this? And why are there cuter guys in this time period? _

"Ummm…h-hi?" I squeaked out. I took a step backwards. He had been standing a little close for comfort.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Izanagi the woods keeper. I watch over this forest. And you are?" He bowed and then looked up at me waiting for an answer.

"Rose…the girl who is hopelessly lost." I replied.

"Ahhh, and you want to find your way back to your own time. Do you not?" He stated offhandedly. I gasped.

"H-how would you know that?" I pressed. He looked unsurprised at my startled expression.

"I should have also told you that I have a special ability. You see, I have a unique power that allows me to see a being's objective. So in other words I can see what your main goal at this moment is." Izanagi explained. I watched him carefully while he spoke. I could tell he was being completely serious. It's not like this was anything out of the ordinary around here.

"Um ok. So…are you going to help me out or…what?" I wasn't so sure I could trust this boy.

"Of course. I couldn't just leave you out here wandering around in this forest. It is my job, as I said, to watch over these woods and everything in them. Follow me." He turned on his heal and started walking. I hurried to his side.

"Wait! I didn't tell you where I'm going!" I said.

"No you didn't…but…I…saw that too." He replied a little too slowly. I decided to dismiss that because he seemed pretty harmless.

"Oh ok."

***

"It's right up ahead" Izanagi said after quite a long walk.

"Wow. I must have been _really_ lost. This took a while." I said.

"Yes. You were." He said as he motioned for me to walk ahead of him. I stepped past a couple more bushes and found myself blinded by open sunlight. I was relieved for only a second before my eyes adjusted to the light, and I found that the clearing I was standing in was unfamiliar. I glanced around. There was a shabby tent made out of rawhide, and a burnt out campfire. I spun around to face Izanagi as he stepped past the bushes.

"Izanagi where are we? I thought you said that you could see where I wanted to go!" I said suspiciously.

"Well, I lied. I can't see places. I can only see the…essence…of goals. I can't literally _see _what they look like."

"Ok fine! Then where are we? Why did you bring me here?" I demanded.

"I'm quite sorry, but I have no other choice…but to kill you." My breath caught in my throat the moment the words came out of his mouth.

"W-what are you…saying? You have to? WHAT?!?" I stammered. My whole body felt weak. I certainly was NOT expecting this. _But why would he want to kill me? I don't even know him! _

"I'm sorry, but this opportunity is too great to pass up! I usually try not to kill the people I fight, but I'm sure you won't be giving _THAT _up without a fight!" This was certainly news to me.

"Listen! I don't know what you're talking about! I'm serious!" I yelled.

"WELL I DO! AND IT'S WORTH KILLING FOR!!! AHHHH!" With that, Izanagi began to change. Suddenly the irises in his eyes glowed a piercing blue, and he grew about another foot (which seemed impossible because he was already like 6 feet tall!). It was the most magnificently terrifying thing I had ever seen! When he was done growing, he looked down at me once more with his now icy blue eyes.

"NOW DIE GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" As he yelled this in a somehow breathier, echoing, evil voice, his eyes glowed again, and suddenly my body was on fire. Not literally though, but somehow telepathically. I couldn't even scream as I felt myself being burned from the inside. I fell to the ground in pain. I felt myself slipping fast into unconsciousness. _What could this boy want so badly… _

"_**BACKLASH WAVE!!!!!!!!!**_" my tightly shut eyes flew open as my ears heard another voice…a familiar voice, and the pain suddenly stopped. I sat up on my elbows, and watched in astonishment as a column of light flew through the air straight at Izanagi. Just as it reached him, though, it was somehow sucked into his eyes. I heard a gasp from behind me, and I turned to look.

"How did you?!? You absorbed my backlash wave!" the owner of the voice from before yelled. _I knew it! The hanyou boy, whose name I still don't know…_

"That's another one of my little powers! You can not use my power against me! I will only get stronger!" Izanagi proclaimed. The hanyou boy smirked.

"Then hows' about I use something else to-"

"WAIT!!!" I stood up. Both boys stopped to stare at me confused. "Why are you even doing this? How are you doing this? I thought you were a human!" I was surprised when Izanagi laughed.

"You actually thought I was a human? HA! I am no weakling! It was all an act! What I said about my power of seeing people's goals was true, but I am no woods keeper! **And you know what I want from you!** I wasn't born yesterday! Now die!!!" His eyes began to glow again, but so did the giant sword my hanyou hero was holding. Suddenly, a lot of things happened at once. Demon boy raised his sword…

"_**WINDSC-**_" …Izanagi yelled…

"_**GIVE ME THE SACRED JEWEL SHARD!!!**_" …and lunged at me, demon boy dropped his sword with a gasp, I put my hands up to shield myself, and then…

_**FLASH**_

***

I didn't know how it happened at the time, but suddenly a beam of light exploded from my hands, and shot right into Izanagi's face. His screamed of agony was the only thing that told me it had effected him. It was too bright for me to see much else. When the light faded from my hands, and I regained my sight, I saw that Izanagi was lying on his back about ten feet from me...dead. He had to be because he definitely wasn't breathing. I fought back a heave of my stomach, and looked away. _That light must have been really powerful…and it came from me…_I thought. Suddenly I remembered the demon boy, and the look of total shock I had just barely caught before he had fallen to the ground. I looked over to where he had landed, and found that he was just pulling himself up from the ground. I ran over to him, and knelt down beside him.

"Are you alr-" I began.

"Grrr…How did you do that? Tell me!" He yelled, suddenly furious.

"Wha- how am I supposed to know?" I yelled back. _Why is he mad at me? I pretty much just saved both of our butts, and he's mad at me?!?_

"Nevermind! Forget it ok!" He looked worried now instead of angry. It was almost like he was afraid I was going to cry or something.

"Ummm…ok. It's forgotten. So…what do you think a…sacred jewel shard is?" As I said this his eyes became cold, and he turned away from me.

"It doesn't matter. You couldn't have it anyway. That would be impossible." He said with that tone again that made me feel like I had missed something. I started rolling the words over and over in my head. _Hmmm…sacred jewel shard…jewel…_

"…SHARD!!!" I stood up quickly as I realized a possibility I had overlooked. I fished in the front pocket of my jeans for a second, and then pulled out what I was looking for.

"Ummm…could…this…be it? Sorry. I kinda forgot about it with all this…excitement." I held my hand out to him with Miss Higurashi's _jewel shard_ on my upturned palm. His eyes widened. Then, I was suddenly on his back, and we were flying past tree after tree. I screamed for a bit, but after a while I got used the feeling that we were flying. I decided to make small talk.

"I'm Rose by the way. And you are….?" He didn't answer.

"Inuyasha." He said after what seemed like hours. Apparently he had been deep in thought up to this point.

"Oh…really. That's nice, but I was thinking more along the lines of...Fido or Spot." He only growled in reply, and ran on.

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Special Preview:

…………………………………………………………yeah right! = p


	5. Author's Note

**Hey readers! I just got a recent critique from one of you in regards to my original character, Rose. I was asked if I could describe her a little better. Well, first of all, her personality is kind of laid back, and down to earth. She is definitely not a serious person, though, due to the fact that she likes to make witty comments. She also has a pretty caring sweet side which tends to frustrate Inuyasha and the others because it reminds them of their beloved Kagome (you will find out what happened to her later). You will learn a little more about her along the way as the story progresses. I don't want to ruin anything by telling you more! (A.K.A. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do. Teehee.) Now, on to her physical traits. I would say she has more of a tom-boy-ish look. (Just not majorly girly) The thing about Rose, though, is that I really don't want to describe her any more than that, because I know what it's like being a fan girl. Everyone wants to look like their favorite character. I thought it would be fun to just leave her description at that, so all you readers can picture her any way you want.**

**In the end, Rose is just your average teenaged girl who was in the wrong place at the right time.**

**Love,**

**The Author…duh. = P**


	6. Chapter 5, Confusion and a Twist

**Wow. I actually did this chapter quickly! Imagine that...AND BELIEVE IT!!!!**

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It was only after Inuyasha had dropped me (roughly I might add) off his back that I realized how motion sick I was. He didn't allow me even a second to let my stomach catch up to my body. He quickly grabbed my wrist, pulled me to my feet, and we were moving again. I groaned as my stomach flip flopped. He stopped walking and sighed.

"What? Do I have to carry you the rest of the way too?" he said sarcastically.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble…I'm feeling a little dizzy." I looked up at him weakly.

"Grrr don't act so polite. Your making _me _sick." He said with that weird bitter tone again. He swung my legs out from under me and held me in front of him. This felt a little awkward. It was almost like how a prince would carry a princess in a fairy tale. _It's not like he wants to lug me around. He's just being nice in his own way. _I thought. So, I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for him to take off running. This time, though, he only walked. I opened my eyes, and for the first time, noticed my current surroundings. We were in some sort of village. All around me were thatched roofs with stones holding them on top of huts. As we progressed further into town, we passed crowds and crowds of people. _Wow. So this is where everyone is! For once I wish I weren't a foreigner! I could have had ancestors here!_ After a little walk, we came to a halt in front of one of the huts. It looked exactly like all the rest.

"You still alive old woman?" Inuyasha called sarcastically as he set me down on my feet (I was feeling much better at that point) outside the hut, and walked inside. I figured he wanted me to come with, so I timidly followed close behind.

"I be hangin' in child. Ye know my powers have extended m' lifespan." came an elderly woman's voice. "Now, what ye be-" the voice stopped short as I peeked my head through the door. The woman who had been talking was propped up by a pillow on a cot that was low to the floor. Her wrinkled, but wise eyes widened at the site of me.

"Inuyasha…" the woman's voice trailed off into silence.

"Grrr…Kaede, it's not what you're thinking! It's not what it looks like ok!" Inuyasha blurted out.

"Child, I may be old, but me eye sight is still good." She shook her head sadly at Inuyasha. Then she turned to me. "Let me have a look at ye, girl." she said, and motioned for me to come closer to where she was lying. I did so, and then she did something that surprised me. She grabbed my face, and turned it from side to side.

"Do you always have to do that ya old hag?" Inuyasha huffed.

"We can't go…breaking tradition…now can we?" Kaede said with hidden meaning. She turned to me. "I am the priestess Kaede. I used to be the protector of this village, but alas, I have grown old." _Wow! A priestess! A real live priestess! _"Inuyasha has been doing that job as of late. What be your name child?" she finished.

"Rose. Rose McCullen." I recited. Kaede grabbed my face again. This time I pulled away. I felt bad for being disrespectful, but I had to admit, I didn't understand a thing that was going on! I wasn't too happy!

"Ok! Can somebody PLEASE explain what I missed? I must have missed something, because I have no idea what you're talking about!" I exploded.

"This girl be definitely not of this era. I can tell ye that much." Kaede said.

"Grrr! I already know that! I just want to know how she got THIS!" Inuyasha grabbed the Jewel fragment from my hand that I had forgotten I had been holding on to, and handed it over to Kaede. The old woman examined it solemnly. When she was finished, she looked up at me.

"Where could ye possibly have gotten this, child?" suddenly she looked even older.

"Well…umm…I found it…on the ground…at a park…" I lied. _I can't tell them what really happened…To them, it would probably sound like I meant to take it from Miss Higurashi…They might hate me, or worse, they might not help me find my way home! And besides, this little broken jewel seems like a big deal around here… _

"Well, I don't know what a…park…is, but…I guess that means you didn't get it from-" Inuyasha was interrupted by the sound of the straw door flap being pulled aside behind me.

"Hello. I was told I could-" I spun around at the sound of the familiar voice, and gasped.

"Izanagi!" there he stood. The boy that had recently tried to kill me was standing in the doorway gazing down at me with a bewildered expression.


	7. Chapter 6, Stereotyping

**Just another update. Please read and review! Also, when you review, please leave at least one good thing, and one helpful criticism. (No, "Your story sucks the big one!" is not a valid critique.) Thanks for reading!!!!**

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Izanagi turned to me with that confused look still on his face. Inuyasha stepped in front of me and growled. _He's protecting me? _

"I take it you know me?" Izanagi asked curiously. Inuyasha growled again.

"I don't know how you're still alive, but get out unless you _want_ to die." Inuyasha said menacingly. Izanagi's expression turned from curious to frightened. He backed up slowly, and then quickly ran out the door. Inuyasha relaxed in front of me, but I didn't. Nothing made sense. _There was something different about Izanagi just now… _Without a word, I ran from the hut in the direction the terrified Izanagi had run. I heard Inuyasha call my name from behind me, and Kaede say something like 'Wait child!'.

"Feh. Whatever! It's not my job to protect you anyway! Don't go thinking I'm gonna save you again!" He called again. So I kept running. To tell the truth I was kind of hoping he would stop me. After all, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I was too curious to stop though. So I asked a group of villagers if they had seen a boy in a black kimono run past them. One of the men pointed to the woods.

"He ran in there." He said. After I reached the woods I realized that I had lost Izanagi again. _He could be anywhere…_

"You have reached your goal young miss. You sound pretty harmless. I'm not sure I can say the same for your friend, though." I looked up. There, on the tree branch above me, sat the boy I had been looking for. He jumped down in front of me.

"If you know me as your friend said, I'm guessing you know of these strange sights that I am seeing. It's as if I can see your aspirations. I found this out while I was in the village. Yours, a moment ago, was to find me. If you would like to know why I'm here, I came to speak with the leader of the village, Kaede. I had hoped she could aid me. Can you tell me what is wrong with me, miss?" He still had that confused look on his face.

"What do you mean? I just met you! You just tried to-" I began.

"That can't be possible…well, I'm not exactly sure if it is or not because I don't remember a thing before…well, before I woke up…" He explained. My mouth dropped open. _So…he doesn't remember…he has amnesia?!?_

"You really don't know who I am?" I asked amazed.

"Hell, I…I don't know who _I _am…Can you tell me?" He said staring off into space.

"Uh…you are Izanagi…th-the woods keeper. You have the special ability to "see" peoples' goals." I said. _At least I told him most of the truth. This doesn't seem to be a good time to elaborate on fact that he recently attempted murder. I'll have to tell Inuyasha to keep quiet too. _

"Hmm…That feels about right. Something seems missing though. I can't put my finger on it…"

"Uhh…I'm sure it's nothing important!" I laughed nervously. _Keeping this a secret may be harder than I though. If I tell him, he might go back to the way he was! Who knows though…he could turn over a new leaf… _Suddenly, as if on cue, a large leaf flew at my face from out of nowhere.

"_**FOX MAGIC!**_" came a child's voice. Izanagi snatched it right out of the air, and crushed it in his hand. I looked down in alarm, but then giggled.

"Oh…IT'S SOOO CUTE!" I squealed. It was a little fox! I have a weakness for cute, fluffy animals. It didn't surprise me, after everything I had seen so far, that the fox also had the body of a human child. He looked only about ten or eleven years old.

"Grrr! Who are you calling _cute_?!? I am Shippo the great fox demon! I may look small, but I am really a lot older than you weakling humans! Now, tell me! What is your business here?" he said, trying to act tough. Izanagi and I exchanged glances. We decided to just play along.

"My name is Rose, and this is my friend Izanagi. We were just on our way back to the village." I explained. Izanagi nodded in agreement.

"Yes. We were just about to start walking." He added.

"Oh. Alright, but don't try anything funny! I have an older friend that will help me if needed!" Shippo added.

"Don't tell me you know Inuyasha!" I laughed. The little fox youkai's expression changed from tough to interested.

"You know him? How-" Shippo stopped short. Then he ran up and sniffed my pant leg. Suddenly, he was acting like the curious child he actually was.

"You're from the future aren't you?!? I knew there was something weird about your clothes!" He jumped up and down. _Wow. Do people from my time come here every day, or what?_

"Yes, but…how-?"

"Well, _hers _were different, but yours are definitely not from this time!"

"_Her? _Who is "_her"?" _I asked startled.

"Oh…uhh…nevermind. I promised I wouldn't say." said Shippo. He started to fidget.

"Oh…I wouldn't want to make you break a promise…Still, I'd like to know. Did somebody else pass through that dried up well before me?" I asked.

"Well…yeah. Another…girl…did…a lot of years ago. Like I said, I promised I wouldn't bring it up or talk about it. So please don't tell anyone." The naturally happy little boy suddenly looked crushed. _What could have happened here? Could this…other girl…be the reason everyone is acting so strange around me? Talk about stereotyping! _


	8. Chapter 7, Taking His Time

"Feh. Whatever. I still don't trust the guy." Inuyasha sat sulking in a corner with his back turned to me. Kaede sat in the middle of her hut mixing medicinal herbs. Inuyasha spun around to face me. "And I can't see why you would either! Are you really that stupid?"

"Hmph. I trust YOU don't I? I mean…aside from some slight personality flaws, you didn't turn out to be…anything…like I imagined a demon would be." He gave me a weird look. I winced. "Don't read too much into that. And anyway, if you haven't noticed, I'm not the kind of girl that wimps out easily! Look, I'm pretty sure he has amnesia. So, I think we should just give the poor guy a chance! " Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Inuyasha…when is it you be plan'in in on escorting young Rose back to her time? Eh child?" Kaede cut in to change the subject. To tell the truth, I was pretty relived. Inuyasha stiffened.

"I'll do it when I feel like it alright!" He blurted out in an annoyed tone. I jumped up.

"When you _FEEL_ like it? WHEN YOU_ FEEL_ LIKE IT?!?" I couldn't believe him! After all I had been through, he was taking his time?!? Inuyasha got to his feet as well.

"Feh. It's not like you gave me a choice in the matter! I should be able to do it when I want to!" he countered. He was making no sense! I thought he wanted nothing more than for me to leave as soon as possible! What had gotten into him?

"Inuyasha…" I began. Just then, though, Izanagi swung open the door flap and stepped inside the hut with Shippo close behind him. Inuyasha huffed and leaned against the back wall.

"I do believe we got off on the wrong foot…uh…dog man…" Izanagi smirked. Inuyasha started to growl. I cut in.

"Izanagi, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Izanagi." I introduced them formally.

"Do forgive me. I am not prejudice against demons. Even half demons such as yourself." Inuyasha looked even more offended, "I'm sorry to cut in like this…Lady Kaede, I was just hoping to have a word with you about lodging arrangements. I see now that this was probably a…bad time. I'll come back later." Izanagi began to inch back out the door. Shippo waved at me happily then left without a word. Izanagi stopped and turned back toward Inuyasha. "And I do feel a bit sorry for you, what with losing your wench and all." He backed the rest of the way out the door, and the cloth flap swung closed once more. _Wench? Isn't that an old word for…woman? _I stared after Izanagi. Suddenly, the most menacing guttural growl I'd ever heard sounded from behind me. In a flash of red, Inuyasha was out the door.


	9. Chapter 8, I'm Never Coming Back!

**See! I told ya I'd update quickly!!!! In your face!**

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Kaede shook her head and went back to working with the herbs. I got up and stalked over to the door. I was still pretty mad at Inuyasha for blowing me off. Kaede looked up.

"Where ya be goin' child?" she questioned.

"If Inuyasha won't take me, then I'll go home by myself. I know how to get to the well on my own." I said offhandedly. Then I spoke with sincerity. "It was nice meeting you Lady Kaede. Thanks for being so…understanding. Goodbye." I slipped out the door.

***

I made my way past the bushes surrounding the little clearing that contained the well. _More like the time machine from hell! _I rolled my eyes as I thought of all the unbelievable trouble it had caused me. _Well I know one thing for sure! I'm never going to have to see selfish dog boy ever again! Sigh…still, even though we just met, we've been through a lot together for one day…he saved my life. _I shook my head to get rid of the guilt. I walked over and sat on the well. _I really shouldn't have yelled at him. I don't want it to end this way…huh…look at me! _I touched my hands to my face and felt the heat rising on my cheeks._ I'm starting to talk like I have feelings for the guy! Yeah! Now THAT would redefine the term "long distance relationship"! And plus, I don't go for the overly confident tough guy types…I have to go…I don't even want to imagine the motherly wrath when I get home! _With that, I got up and faced the well. "Here goes nothing…" I thought aloud as I stepped one foot onto the raised ledge, and then the other. I looked down into the dark depths of it, and closed my eyes.

"What do ya think you're doing?" The sound of Inuyasha's voice made me jump about a foot in the air. I gasped and almost fell into the well, but he grabbed me around the waist. He glared at me in annoyance as he sat me back on the raised wooden structure. I stood back up quickly.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going home!" I shouted in annoyance. Suddenly a gasp came from the bushes at the other end of the clearing, and Shippo popped his head out.

"Y-you're leaving?" he whimpered. "Already? Ya just got here!" I couldn't help but start missing my new little friend already. I knelt down and motioned for him to come over. He did, and I gave him an affectionate hug. Just then, Izanagi glided out of the trees in the other-worldly way only he could. He nodded a polite goodbye to me. Inuyasha only continued to glare.

"Well, I wasn't going to wait around for the 21st century ya know! By then there would be no point in going back!" I said defensively. Inuyasha just jumped up into the branches of the sacred tree, or the Tree of Ages, or whatever it was called.

"Inuyasha…I'm sorry. I guess I've been nothing but trouble for you since I got here. And it's fair to say that you don't like me very-" I started apologetically.

"Waaaaay more than…" Inuyasha's voice trailed off into that same melancholy thoughtfulness. "Feh, whatever! If you're gonna go, then just go already!" He almost shouted. I felt heat fill my cheeks again, but this time was different. This wasn't embarrassment! This was hurt and anger. _I can't believe...GRRRRR!_ I jumped back onto the ledge of the well once again.

"Fine. I will…AND I'M NEVER COMING BACK!" I shouted up at the Tree of Ages. I couldn't see Inuyasha amidst all the branches and leaves, but I knew he had his back turned to me.

With that, almost in response to my little tantrum, the giant tree pulsed. _What is with that creepy tree!_ I heard Inuyasha yelp as he was shaken from the tree. He landed on the ground with a thud, no doubt unconscious. _Inuyasha!_ The others gasped as the ground around us shook. I screamed as I was tossed forward, and into the well. And then, I fell. I could hear the vibrations around me as the entire wooden structure shook. _This is it! This is the end of my journey…I will never see the feudal era…again…_ Suddenly, there was a mighty sound like the groaning and then splintering of wood that came from below me. It was like the well was being ripped in two! Then, I hit bottom with a thump. There was a sharp pain in my right leg, and I slipped into unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 9, Between Demensions

I awoke with a start. All of the previous events came flooding back to me. The well…Feudal Japan…Izanagi and his power of seeing goals…Shippo and the other girl from my time…Kaede the hospitable priestess…and…Inuyasha the hotheaded boy who saved my life… I suddenly realized that I was surrounded by nothing but darkness, and was currently lying on a hard surface. I instinctively knocked on it with my fist. It made an odd hollow thunking sound. _This ground wasn't wooden before…or rough for that matter…_ I sat up only to fall back down again. My right knee was in searing pain! _Ugg! I bet it's broken! That would be just my luck! _I attempted to get up again, slower and more conscious of my injured knee. I had more success that time around too. I sat on my bottom and rested my back against a wall. I looked up. All I saw was an endless night. Actually I had no idea about what time of day it was. I couldn't tell if it really was night time, or if the lid to the well was closed. Suddenly a frightening thought came to mind. _What if I can't make it out of the well like this? Should I call for help and risk being caught by Miss Higurashi? Uhhh…Mom is going to kill me anyway….but what if no one hears me? How often do people come around the old well in my time anyway…I'll just do my best and use the vines to climb up without putting weight on my right leg….so…here goes…._

I slowly rolled over on my stomach. I winced as my knee touched the strange wooden ground. The pain actually wasn't as bad as I had initially thought. It was at least bearable. I grabbed onto a vine and tried to keep as quiet as I could while I pulled myself onto my left foot. I didn't make it all the way up though, because I suddenly banged my head on something hard. _What the?_ I reached up and touched it with my hand. I gasped. _It's a…tree branch! _I felt below me again. _The ground! It's a tree branch too…wait...I'm in a well! How is that possible…unless….THESE ARE ROOTS! _I had no idea what I was planning on doing, but I reached up and wrapped my left arm around the root above me. Then I grabbed it with the other. I hoisted my legs up and wrapped my left around the root as my right leg dangled free. It took a bit of a struggle, but I finally ended up perched on top of it. _If there was a root above me before…_ I reached above me again, but, to my devastation, there was nothing. _No! NO! There has to be some… _without warning, a sound just like the one I heard while I was falling down the well sounded above me. _It's the sound of wood…bending… _Suddenly something hit my up stretched hand. _It's another branch…err…root! It wasn't there before… _with that, the root lowered right into my arms, and I almost fell off the one I was sitting on from the shock of it. I had to choke back a scream. _Still…it doesn't seem like…the tree…is trying to hurt me….its almost…helping me! _At that moment all my fear disappeared. I thought back to the Tree of Ages and how it seemed to pulse when I touched it. _Do I have a connection with this…tree? A destiny… _I heaved myself up and on top of the root. It even seemed to lift me upward. Suddenly, a glow came from the front pocket of my jeans. I reached in and pulled out the mysterious jewel shard. It was the shiny culprit.

_Why are you so important?_

Out of nowhere the lights came, the lights that had transported me before. Then I wasn't sitting on a root anymore. I was floating in the brilliant, swirling lights.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back again, but this time the ground was made of soft sand like before. _Wait! Does that mean I'm back in the Feudal Era? Was I just stuck between dimensions or something? _I decided to dismiss the thought and try to climb the rest of the way out. If I looked up, I could already see the navy colored night sky above me. It gave me new hope. _Wherever I am, at least I'm almost out of this well! _I sighed in relief and began to climb. It was tough avoiding banging my knee against the wooden sides of the well, but the vines were a big help.

_I'm almost to the top! _I was just about to grip the top of the well when my right foot slipped from its cradling vine. My knee rammed into the wall, and my hand missed the ledge. I screamed, but just as I started to fall, something grabbed my wrist and hoisted me up and over the side of the well. I was placed with my back up against the raised top while I sat on grass. I was too afraid to look up. I knew exactly where I was. This was not where I had hoped I would come out. _And what's worse? I think the tree was trying to keep me from passing through the well…though I have no clue why…_

"How did you know?" I asked. I was pretty sure he had a smug look on his face, but I still didn't look up.

"I knew you'd be back, and look what you did to the tree!" He stated, overly confident (and thoroughly annoying) as always. He motioned to the tree of ages. I wasn't too surprised to see that its roots were everywhere. Most of them looped above the ground now. _Some of them even broke through the well…_

"Hmph." I stood up and limped off in the direction of the village without another word. Although, inside…_GRRRR! STUPID INUYASHA! BLAMEING ME FOR THIS! UGH! HE DIDN'T EVEN APPOLOGISE! I'm going to bed…Why not? I'm stuck here anyway._


	11. Chapter 10, Stranded

**Hey everyone! I'm finally updating! Can you guess why? It's in honor of…THE NEW INUYASHA SERIES THAT HAS JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED!!!!! If you didn't know, a continuation of the anime is coming soon! It really inspired me to work on this again! Enjoy!**

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"Pst! Rose!" Shippo's childish voice was hushed. I looked up from my clothes that I was currently washing in river water, on the river bank. I now wore an old yukata, a kind of less formal kimono. It was plain, but colored a pretty shade of pale blue. Anyway, I glanced around me to find the little fox youkai's head sticking up through the brush surrounding the water's edge.

"Shippo? What are you-" I began.

"Shhh!" his eyes darted back and forth searching for someone who might be in earshot. "Listen. Inuyasha just gets like this sometimes…" he continued. I looked over to where Mr. Grumpykimono was sitting in a tree further downstream. I quickly turned my gaze back to my soaking clothes. He had noticed I was staring, and proceeded to glare daggers. _If looks could kill…_

"Hmph. Only sometimes?" I said in reply to Shippo's comment.

"Well…maybe most of the time, but he really isn't that bad of a guy on the inside. He just tries to act all tough like this. He's never gonna say sorry first if that's what you're waiting for." He explained matter-of-factly. _I guess this kid is a little more perceptive than I thought… _

"I see." I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, but I needed Inuyasha's help.

***

With my wet clothes neatly hung over a makeshift clothesline, I nonchalantly strolled over to the base of the tree dog boy was sitting in. I pressed my hand to the trunk. _Phew! This one doesn't pulse…or move. _

"Your sword…umm…it's nice." I called up to the silent (for once) Inuyasha. He glanced back at me and examined my clothing. He didn't reply right away.

"At least you're not wearing a priestesses clothing." He commented with that odd tone to his voice…again. "And my sword, its name is Tetsusaiga. It was created from one of my father's fangs." He spun around to face me, still perched on his tree branch. "Look. If you've got something to say, then say it already!" he growled. I hesitated, and reigned in my anger. _He had better forgive me!_

"I-I'm sorry for trying leave without telling you. I shouldn't have been so impatient with the guy that recently saved my life. Oh, and, by the way…thanks for that." For some reason I didn't understand, my words were sincere. I really did feel grateful. Inuyasha's face didn't give anything away, but I could tell by the way his eyes softened that he wasn't angry anymore, no matter how much he acted like it. I couldn't help but smile to myself. _He's such a faker!_ Suddenly, he swooped down from the tree and stood in front of me.

"So…what's with all the interest in my sword?"

***

_**KA-BOOM!**_

There was another sickening crash. The rest of the top of the well was blown to smithereens by Inuyasha's relentless chopping, and just now wind blowing, attacks.

"WOULD YOU STOP IT ALREADY?!? It's not working OK! Now the villagers are going to have to rebuild the whole thing!" I watched as he cursed under his breath and shoved Tetsusaiga back into its sheath. I marveled at the way it transformed from not even being able to cut paper to a beautiful fang-like sword, and back again. _Why am I so surprised? It seems like anything can happen here! _

"This is impossible! The roots just keep growing back!" Inuyasha exclaimed in frustration. We were silent for a moment, but suddenly the pocket of my (now dry and on my body) jeans began to glow. I knew at once that it was the jewel fragment. I grabbed the tiny thing, and held it in my hand. It continued to shine. Inuyasha stared in shock. Then, the earth began to shake just like it had done the day before. Without warning, the splintering sound came again, and the thickest root I had ever seen slid right over the hole that was the well. The vibrations stopped.

"I've noticed." I said helplessly. _Ok! Now I'm SURE that tree is trying to keep me stranded here! Is the jewel connected to it as well? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!?!?_

"Inuyasha, might I have a word with you?" I wheeled around to find Izanagi intently watching me, though he was speaking to the hanyou. Memories of the previous day, when Inuyasha followed him out of the hut, came to mind. I was sure they had been talking. Inuyasha tore his eyes away from the jewel to look at Izanagi.

"Yeah. Rose, you stay here, and don't make the tree grow anymore, k'?" He replied. Then the two boys walked off.

As soon as they were gone, I ran over to the root-covered well, and flung myself onto it sobbing.

_I'm never going to see my time again…_

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**Believe it or not, I'm almost done with the next chapter already! It will be up soon! Yay!**


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